On the surface Hollywood’s hottest new babe,
L1v Tyler, had everything - a beautiful ex-model
mother, a rock star dad and a
cushy upbringing. Then, when she was ten, a
bombshell hit her - she found out that
Todd, the man she'd grown up thinking was her
father wasn't, and she met her real dad - Steven, the frontman
of heavy metal band, Aerosmith. In this revealing
interview, Liv explains how she coped with the shock news and how it's
affected her life in the spotlight...

When did you first meet
your real dad Steven?

It was when I was about
eight and Mum took me to see
Todd perform, because he was a
singer, too. Steven happened to be
there and we met backstage. We
had a strange connection right from
the word go and we were laughing about
how similar our legs were! He
paid me special attention because
he already knew I was his daughter.

When did you know for
sure he was your father?

ln 1988 I met his other
daughter, Mia,who's a year
younger than me. It was at an
Aerosmith concert and Mia and I
looked so alike I knew something
was weird. I asked Mum and she
spent a couple of hours telling me
the whole story. We both couldn't
stop crying.

Why hadn't she told you?

When I was born, Steven
was into a lot of bad drugs. Mum
was worried and thought it best to
keep me well away from that, so
when I was about three we moved
away so I'd have a normal
childhood. It wasn't until Steven
was sober that I met him.

What do think of your dad
doing drugs?

When Steven was my age,
sex, drugs and rock'n'roll all came
together for the first time and
nobody knew any better. I'm just
lucky I never learnt that lesson
through my dad and I hope I never
do drugs. I think my generation is a
little wiser because we have the
past to learn from.

Apart from your legs, what
have you inherited from him?

We're both hyper all the
time. And obviously, there's the
lips! People always take a look at
my lips when they first meet me!

You've modelled, and acted, but is
there a rock star in you?

Definitely! I
think that's me at
heart - there's a rock
star trying to get out!
Unfortunately, she can't play any instruments'yet!
I'm learning the guitar and I have a passion for singing.
I'm really into rock music like Hole, The Rolling Stones and,
of course, Aerosmith!

You're not camera shy - did
you get that from your mum?

I don't know. I've never
really been shy. I really enjoy
dressing up as a model and posing
for the camera - it gives me a great
rush. My mum has that quality, too
we're alike in so many ways that it’s
odd how we get along. Teenagers
aren't meant to get along with their
mums as well as I do!

How did you cope with being a
famous model at school?

Because I was travelling a
lot I had a tutor, but when I went back to school it was hard.
All the other kinds thought I was getting the
best deal, but I was actually jeallous
of them because they had free time
of their hands - I was modelling all
day, then doing schoolwork at night!
At first I only did modelling because
I didn't want to be a babysitter, then
it took off and I ended up missing
out on boyfriends and parties!

Why did you start acting?

It was something I wanted
to do for a while, so I got myself an
agent and read for Silent Fall, my first
film. I couldn't believe it
when I heard I'd got the
part because I was up.

So you don't model now?

No, it doesn't give me the
satisfaction I get from acting. It was
too easy - people would be telling
me how great I looked and I got paid
for it - and that was it. I need to feel
l've done some hard work for it to be
my 'career'. Acting's my career now.

What do you think of the
Hollywood scene?

It can be really boring. The
parties aren't as exciting as everyone
thinks. They're full of people sipping
champagne and bitching about each
other, or being false about how
'beautiful' and 'wonderful' they are.

Are you a party animal?

I know how to have fun, but
I'd rather curl up in bed with a good
book than go to a party. I have a
Chihuahua pup called Chiquita and
there's nothing I like more than just
playing with her at the moment.

Have you any ambitions?

I want to get educated but
I don't know if I could face going to
University. I might just take some
extra notes as I go through the
school of life! I know I want to take a
break and travel soon. Other than
that, I want to make good films.